The Midwife’s Advice

Hannah Sokolow, the spirited Jewish-American heroine of The Midwife, returns in this powerful story to face new medical challenges in turn-of-the-century New York. As head midwife at Bellevue Hospital, Hannah sees her proud profession taken over by the male-dominated practice of obstetrics. So when a young immigrant woman seeks a solution to a troubling but delicate personal problem, Hannah takes a bold step toward the new medical frontier of sex therapy. Soon she is giving intimate advice not only to her immigrant patients, but also to the intellectuals of Greenwich Village, who inspire her with radical new ideas on such issues as birth control, sex education, and health care.

And there are other momentous changes in store for Hannah. For when her husband follows his heart to the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, Hannah follows hers—into a searing affair with a prominent doctor who is separated from her by faith, class, and marriage, but who is drawn to her by a fierce desire that matches her own.

“The trials and tribulations of Hannah Sokolow, beautiful Russian immigrant and pioneer sex therapist, could be the stuff from which television miniseries are made.” — New York Times Book Review

“Compelling….must reading for any woman interested in human sexuality, and an engrossing story centered around one remarkable woman.” — Rave Reviews

“A terrific read…Hannah Solkolow is back, cutting a vibrant path through New York in the early 1900s and teaching her patients that women deserve full-blown eroticism as much as men do.” — Noah Gordon, author of Shaman